A Spot of Bother
by Galthan
Summary: When Darren Shan finds himself in trouble with a certain Malfoy family, it has been agreed that the only way he can avoid an 'Avada Kedavra' curse is to bide his time at Hogwarts, a school for wizards, without getting into any more trouble. Its harder than it seems, however, when almost half the school in intent in getting him expelled.


**Disclaimer – Everything in this story belongs to either Darren Shan or J.K Rowling. Please read and review!**

Darren's POV

"We are beginning our journey at sunset, Darren. Do not be late back!" Mr Crepsley called, exasperation and exhaustion clear in his tone as he turned his back to the blistering sun outside. We had set up camp in a small, dank cave to rest for the remainder of our trek back to Vampire Mountain, and though I was sure I'd regret the lack of sleep, I didn't know how much longer I could bear the scent of rat droppings inside that dingy cave. So, I had crawled out into the sunlight, earning a groan of pain from Mr Crepsley as I removed the brambles and rocks we had draped over the entrance, allowing a beam of light to flood over his sensitive skin. He muttered a curse, shuffling further into the shadows, as I yelped an apology and hopped out into the clearing.

We'd been away from the mountain for months, though now that we were heading back, it felt as if only yesterday I had been cooped up in its rocky confines. Sure, I loved the place, but when you're stuck for the majority of six years with a few hundred snarling, sweaty vampires, it's nice to have a bit of fresh air once in a while. Not forgetting the mountain (You see what I did there) of princely duties I was facing when I got back. When I was with Mr Crepsley, out foraging through the wilds like the good old days, he was the one who took charge. When I arrived at Vampire Mountain, however, every General and Vampire would be looking towards me to make the potentially life or death decisions. You couldn't blame me for feeling a tiny bit under pressure.

Trudging through the undergrowth, I shoved my hands into the tattered remains of my pockets and squinted up at the sun, which bathed the forest in a warm, golden glow. We weren't far from the mountain now, perhaps a week's worth of travelling away, and I needed some alone time before I was bombarded with vampire politics, most of which I didn't have a clue about. Great move, appointing me prince, by the way.

I walked for around an hour, not particularly following any path or direction, and soon the forest around me began to thin out. The trees became less densely spaced together, the harsh ground underfoot gave way to short cropped grass, and I soon found myself stood at the edge of a huge, flat field. It stretched onwards for as far as I could see, but, alone and secluded in the very center of it, looming over and above everything like a great, dense shadow, was a mansion. Not just any mansion, but the hugest, most elaborate mansion I had ever set eyes upon. I had to admit, I was wholly taken aback by the thing. Mr Crepsley and I had thought we were as far from civilisation as possible, out here in the middle of nowhere, but apparently somebody else had the same idea. And it wasn't just that, either. There was a sort of dark threat cast around the place, bringing with it the unmistakable sense of danger, and every single one of my instincts told me to turn around and sprint as fast as I could in the other direction. And, perhaps I would have, if it were not for the demanding, arrogant voice which called out from behind me.

"Hey, you, tramp! What are you doing on my property?" It yelled angrily, "When my father hears that there is none other than hobos trespassing on our grounds, he won't hesitate to call the Ministry!"

I whipped around, my hand reaching instinctively for a grasp at the dagger, usually hidden beneath the folds of my shirt. I was prepared to whip it out and toss it at whoever had spoken, though I had forgotten one simple yet vital fact – I had left it in the cave. Shit.

Cursing, I scanned the area for the speaker, wondering how well I would fare with just my fists if they tried to attack, though dropped my hands in surprise when I realised just who it was.

Stood a few metres away from me, his angled, pointy face flushed scarlet with anger and horror, was a young boy, probably around the same age as I looked. He was tall and slender, with narrowed, silvery blue eyes and platinum blond hair. A superior look was mixed with the scowl plastered onto his face as he regarded me in disgust.

I was speechless, which probably didn't help the hobo vibe which was going on, what with my muddy, torn clothes and bare feet. All I could do was stare at him dumbly, my mouth opening and closing every so often, causing him to back away slowly. I stepped forwards after him, hoping to explain that I hadn't actually been meaning to trespass, when he did something totally unexpected. He reached into his back pocket and drew out… a stick! And he brandished it too, as if it were some scary, magical weapon or something absurd like that. I didn't really know how to react to having a stick waved in my face – It's not really something that generally happens everyday – so I did the only thing I could think of. I leaped forwards, knocked the stick flying out of his hand and pinned him to the ground.

Now, you're probably thinking that that was a little uncalled for, but he was threatening me! What else was I supposed to do? And it was really scary too – It was quite a long stick, and… and it was a bit pointy at the end.

The boy yelled out as I made contact, pressing down hard against his chest with my knee. He gasped as the breath was knocked out of him, and slumped against the grass. I held him fast as he lay there, his eyes closed lightly, though I knew that it was just a matter of time before he got his breath back and –

"FATHER! I'M BEING ATTACKED BY A HOBO!" He bellowed, the piercing wail reverberating through the field as he squirmed underneath me. I swore, clamping my hand over his mouth to muffle the wails, but it was too late. The sounds of anxious yelling and footsteps thundering towards us met my ears, and before I knew it, I was surrounded by a small group of humans, their eyes widening in horror. To make matters even worse, each one of them held, you guessed it, a _stick_, pointed directly towards me. I didn't even have enough time to duck out of the way when one of the men snapped something indecipherable, and something green and fizzing shot from the stick and darted towards me. I was sent spiralling backwards by an invisible force, only barely registering a sharp pain blossoming in my shoulder, when the world went black around me.


End file.
